Rum

Special Reserve Daiquirí

Name: Special Reserve Daiquirí
Yield: 1 servings

Glass: Ice Shell Coupe

Mai-Kai single-rum descendant of Donn Beach's Mona Daiquiri, Appleton 12, lime, honey, a whisper of fassionola, served in an ice shell.

rum tiki jamaican blended lime honey mid-century

Ingredients

fresh lime juice (0.75 oz)
rich honey mix (0.5 oz)
red fassionola syrup (0.5 tsp)
aged pot-still Jamaican rum (2 oz)
crushed ice (0.5 cup)
lime wheel (1)

Donn Beach's 1934 Mona Daiquiri leaned on a 30-year-old Myers's Mona rum that was discontinued in 1947, prompting Donn to switch to the gold-Jamaican-plus-light-Puerto-Rican blend documented in Berry's Sippin' Safari as Don's Special Daiquiri.¹ Licudine took the recipe one step further at the Mai-Kai, a single-rum spec built around 12-year Appleton, the closest 1956-era stand-in for Mona's age and depth.² The fassionola adds a whisper of red-fruit body the lost Mona had naturally; the rich 2:1 honey mix and the trimmed lime ratio keep it from veering sweet.

Brand recommendations. Best: Appleton Estate 12 Rare Casks (load-bearing, the entire spec hinges on it), Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Gold as a funkier alternative, BG Reynolds Fassionola (red), local raw honey for the honey mix. Economical: Appleton Estate 8 Reserve, Smuggler's Cove fassionola homemade, generic clover honey.

Instructions

In a blender combine fresh lime juice, rich honey mix (2:1 honey to water), red fassionola syrup, and aged pot-still Jamaican rum.
Add crushed ice and pulse blend for until just integrated.
Strain into a chilled ice shell coupe or coupe glass.
Garnish with a lime wheel.

Sources

Berry, Sippin' Safari (2017 ed.), Don the Beachcomber chapter, documents the 1934 Mona Daiquiri's reliance on 30-year Myers's Mona rum, the 1947 Mona discontinuation, and Don's Special Daiquiri's reformulated gold-Jamaican-plus-light-Puerto-Rican blend. ↩
Hurricane Hayward, "Mai-Kai cocktail review: This Daiquiri is special in more ways than one." The Atomic Grog. https://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2012/05/02/mai-kai-cocktail-review-this-daiquiri-is-special-in-more-ways-than-one/ (accessed 2026-05-03), documents Licudine's Mai-Kai Special Reserve Daiquirí as a single-rum spec built on 12-year Appleton; the source for this file's measurement bill (3/4 oz lime, 1/2 oz rich honey mix, 1/2 tsp fassionola, 2 oz Appleton 12). ↩